Paint-can



(uo-del.)-

J. G. CARTER.

' Paint Can.

No. 235,207. Patented Dec. 7,1880.

UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. CARTER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PAINT-CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,207, dated December'7, 1880.

Application led March 10, 1880. (Model.)

T o all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. CARTER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements in Paint-Cans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of cans for paint and like substancesin which a movable diaphragm or piston is employed to enforce thedelivery of the material; and the invention consists in constructing thecan with a lower end permanently closed against escape of contents, andwith a removable head having a delivery-orifice at its circumference,and furnishing said can with a piston adapted and arranged to be drawntoward the delivery-orifice, the head and piston both having planefaces, and in providing the piston with a tubular stem, through whichairis admitted` behind the piston.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of myimprovedk can in its frame or holder; Fig. 2, a vertical centralsection, showing' the can in position for storage or shipping Fig. 3, alongitudinal central section of the same in use; and Figlaa view,partially in section, of the can in use as a paint-pot after the removalof 4its original contents.

Cans and vessels constructed and operating upon the same generalprinciple as that which I am about to describe have been in use for anumber of years and are fully described iu various patents, an earlyinstance of such construction being found in the vessel for containingbeer, patented to Haege, January 24, 1865, and numbered 45,994, andthesame principle being involved in manyT cans patented at subsequenttimes.

As more commonly1 constructed :vessels of this character have beenprovided-with a delivery-orifice through the side. This arrangement isobjectionable for the reason that all material below the orifice mustremain in the can.

No can, so far as I know, which has been provided withadischarge-opeuing in the end has served to remedy the loss of paintthrough inability to remove it from the can in the same, because theface of the piston or diaphragm' is concave and the head or end of thecan of irregular form, and a close contact of the two faces consequentlyprevented; and in the others because that a thimble in the center of thediaphragm or piston projecting into the delivery orifice before thepiston has reached the end of thevessel practically closes the sameagainst the escape of a thick substance such as paint. Moreover, inmostcases the pistou -rod or operating-stem enters or passes through theend of the can farthest from the delivery-orifice, thus necessitating ahole at both ends of the can and preventing its subsequent use for otherpurposes. Again, in certain of the cans above mentioned a projecting capat each end renders the can incapable of standing alone on end, aserious objection in a commercial point of view, and still furtherprecludes the subsequent use of the can as a paint-pot or for analogouspurposes.

In storing and shipping paint it is customary to sta-nd the cans on end,iu order that they may not roll out of place, and when so placed theheavier matters gradually settle at the bottom, forming a comparativelysolid and compact mass, which, with existing cans, delivering at thelower end, prevents the piston or diaphragm from being forced to thebottom of the can, and often materially interferes with the delivery ofthe paint through the deliveryorice.

To overcome these difficulties and produce a can which may be completelyemptied, in which the settling of the paint cannot interfere with itsdelivery, which may be used for other purposes when emptied, and fromwhich the diaphragm may be removed without interfering with the afterusefulness of the can, is the object of my invention; and to this endthe invention consists in the construction, which l will now describe inconnection with the drawings.

A represents a can having a tightly-closed bottom and a head, B,provided with a delivery-orifice, a, at or near its circumference.

C represents an internal diaphragm or piston, closely fitting theinterior of the can, and furnished with a central rod or stem, b, whichpasses through the head or end B, and is threaded to receive a handle orbail, D, by

which it may be drawn outward.

The head B is preferably furnished with an inner head or supportingdisk,c,in order that a straight and even inner face may be preserved and thehead prevented from bulging outward when drawing ont the paint.

The orifice a is furnished with a suitable faucet or cut-off', and theopening through which the rod or stem b passes is suitably packed toprevent the escape of material at that point.

d is an opening formed longitudinally through the center of' thepiston-rod or stem, by which air is admitted behind the piston ordiaphragm C, to permit the Sallie to move freely forward.

The can being thus constructed, the diaphragm or piston is placedtherein and pressed down to the bottom, as in Fig. 2. The paint is thenput into the can and the disk c and head B placed in position and thelatter sol dered on. In this condition the cans are put in the market.

Owing to the projection of' the rod or stem b at the top the can will benaturally placed or caused to stand upon its opposite end or bottom, asin Fig. 2; hence whatever may settle to the bottom will fall and restupon the face ofthe diaphragm or piston C away from the delivervoriticea.

When the contents of' the can are to be drawn ofi' the can is placed ina substantially horizontal position with the orifice a at the lowerside, as in Figs. 1 and 3. The cut-ofor faucet is then opened, and therod or stem with its piston drawn forward until the desired amount isdrawn off', when the ent-off' is again closed.

By this construction it will be seen thelast particle of paint may beforced out, the natural tendency ofthe paint being to gravitate to theorifice a, which extends to the circumference, and the piston ordiaphragm being brought throughout its entire area into close andimmediate contact with the disk or head. Suitable packing will be placedin or upon the periphery of the piston to insure its fitting closely tothe inside of the can at all points.

It being essential to the attainment of' the best results in using thecan thatit shallstand and remain in a substantially-horizontal position,with the orifice a` at the lower side, I provide a stand or frame, E,specially designed to secure this result. The stand or frame E consists,as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, of two standards having semieircular supportsor arms to receive the ends of the can, to each of which supports ishinged a semicircular arm provided with a flange or with lips f, toengage over the ends of' the can, as shown.

The arms G are swung over the can, holding the same firmly upon thesupports, while the lips or lian ges prevent any movement endwise, andthe free ends of said arms are fastened down by bolts or equivalentdevices g, as shown in Fig. l.

When the can is empty the head B is loosened by running a hot ironaround the seam or joint, when the head and piston may be readily liftedout, carrying out any paint which through any cause whatever may haveremained in the can, and permitting the removal of any deposit from theface of the piston or diaphragm.

The can may be then used as a paint-pot upon the attachment of a bail,if not already so provided, thus effecting a material saving over othercans having the moving piston, which, having the holes in both ends,cannot be so used without first closing such aperture in the bottom,which may only be done thoroughly and properly by soldering a plate orcap over the same.

In large factories, car and carriage shops, and like places wherelargequantities of costly paints are' used, the saving in loss of' paint andcans is very great, while for retailers the device is exceedinglyconveuientand economical;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In combinationwith a can having its bottom and sides permanently and completely closedagainst escape of contents, an internal moving piston provided with atubular stem and a elosinghead, both adapted and arranged to be removedat the top of the can, whereby the usefulness of the can when emptied ispreserved.

2. In combination with a can having its lower end permanently closedagainst escape of contents, and having an internal movable piston, acover provided with a delivery-oritice and an opening for the passage ofthe pis ton-rod.

3. In combination with a can, an internal movable piston provided with atubular stem, as shown, whereby' air is admitted behind the piston.

JOHN G. CARTER.

Witnesses:

WALTER R. YATES, P. F. WETHINGTON.

IOO

